1. Field of the Invention
The invention involves a procedure for producing gold plated surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gold plating is extensively used in the manufacture of commercially important devices. Particularly prominent, especially in recent years, is the use of gold plating in the manufacture of electronic devices. Because of its electrical conductivity properties and absence of insulating surface layers, gold is especially useful as a conductor in electrical circuits as well as a surface metal in electrical contacting areas. For this reason gold is often plated over copper or nickel or other metals and alloys in connectors and other structures used for electrical contact.
Defects in the gold plated surface often have an adverse effect on device reliability. Although much effort has been devoted to eliminating visual defects on gold plated surfaces, such defects often persist especially in commercial production. However, it is known that not all visual defects involve exposure of base metal. Reliability is only affected adversely where the visual defect involves exposure of base metal. Thus many devices with gold plated surfaces containing visual defects need not be discarded since such visual defects do not involve exposed base metal. For this reason a convenient, rapid, nondestructive test for exposed metal in visual defects is highly desirable. In this way many devices with gold plated surfaces need not be discarded which would involve extensive economic savings.